1. Field of the Invention
The present invention involves generally the remote control of telecommunication functions, and, more specifically, the station selection and control of a local phone receiver system for the disabled by a remote calling party to assist a disabled person.
2. Description of Related Art
Much attention has been given to the problems of the handicapped and the disabled in recent years. Rapidly increasing medical and caretaking costs continue to strongly motivate development and discovery of economically efficient methods for social integration of the handicapped and disabled. Many of these efforts are intended to provide improved means for independent self-care for the disabled. A key element for any independent self-care program for the temporarily or permanently disabled is effective access to telecommunications.
Investigators and practitioners have given particular attention to developing home telephone systems suitable for use by a handicapped or disabled person. Such a telephone system normally permits a handicapped person to communicate independently with the outside world. The typical telephone system provides means for originating outgoing telephone calls and for receiving incoming telephone calls. Absent special means, some temporarily or permanently disabled persons cannot make or receive calls on a typical telephone system. The disabled person and the calling party are limited to exchanging messages by some other means. Telephone answering machines are well-known in the art as readily available means for receiving and transmitting messages. Practitioners to date have focused on developing additional means for permitting a disabled person to use a standard telephone system to make and receive calls without considering the additional concept of passing control of the local telephone
to a remote caller.
Lech Zielinski et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,043 issued on Jun. 5, 1984 discloses a telephone having a transducer selected for easy actuation by the handicapped person. The transducer may, for example, be operated orally by blowing or suctioning into a mouthpiece. Zielinski et al. merely provide a physical means for operating a standard telephone in a standard manner and do not consider means for the control of the local telephone system by a remote caller.
David Lubin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,383 issued on Jan. 22, 1985 discloses an apparatus for connecting a speaker phone to a telephone network with provisions for automatic answering. Lubin et al. essentially combine automatic answering means with a speaker phone to provide automatic (hands-free) answering of incoming telephone calls and neither consider nor teach any means for the control of the local telephone system by a remote caller.
Kazuo Hashimoto U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,655 issued on Jun. 30, 1987 discloses a cordless telephone which incorporates an automatic telephone answering function within the base unit and control means within the portable unit for controlling the base unit automatic answering functions. Hashimoto discloses a useful apparatus for permitting a disabled person to operate a standard telephone with automatic answering functions remotely but neither considers nor teaches the control of the local telephone system by a remote caller.
Victor F. Emerson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,996 issued on Oct. 4, 1988 discloses a cordless telephone set which uses a combination of Radio Frequency (RF) and Infrared (IR) channel means for communicating between the base station and at least one portable device. Emerson et al. disclose a portable cordless telephone set that avoids certain government RF licensing requirements and that may be useful to the disabled but they do not consider local or remote control techniques.
Jack A. Clayton U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,474 issued on Oct. 11, 1988 discloses an alarm apparatus for the hearing impaired. Clayton's apparatus incorporates a base station connected to various alarm signal sources such as a telephone ringing signal. The base station uses RF transmission means to activate a cordless remote device containing suitable means for alerting a hearing-impaired person, such as a mechanical vibrator. Clayton does not consider means for the control of local telephone systems by a remote telephone caller.
Yoshitoshi Murata et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,200 issued on Jan. 31, 1989 discloses a method and apparatus for controlling a radio telephone system of the type wherein a connection between a wired telephone channel and a plurality of cordless telephone handsets is controlled by a single base station connected to the wire telephone channel. Murata et al disclose a method for addressing incoming calls to a specific cordless handset by paging the handset and resetting the RF channel at the base station and at the paged cordless handset to establish a speech channel between the two. Murata et al. do not consider nor teach the control of a local telephone system by a remote caller.
Masatoshi Shimada U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,746 issued on Nov. 21, 1989 discloses a cordless telephone system having a master unit connected to a telephone line and having a radio transceiver and a plurality of portable subunits with radio transceivers. Speech from the telephone line can be transferred between any subunits. Speech by a press-to-talk system is enabled between any subunits by way of the master unit. A call from the telephone line can be directed to any subunit by a signal from that subunit and all subunits can also be simultaneously or sequentially connected to the telephone line. Shimada essentially discloses a typical multistation business telephone system, having intercom means and extension selection means, implemented with cordless telephones interconnected by RF means. Shimada neither considers nor discloses any means for the operational control of his telephone system by a remote caller.
Although the above art demonstrates several methods for improving telecommunications for the temporarily or permanently disabled person, nothing is known in the art for allowing a remote caller to initiate an open two-way speech channel with a disabled person anywhere in the home who is not near the phone or otherwise unable to physically respond to an incoming call signal. A remote caller is presently limited to leaving a message on an answering machine and is afforded no means for unilaterally establishing a two-way speech channel from a remote telephone. In situations where a disabled person lives alone, this means that a remote caller has no means for checking on the welfare of the disabled person by telephone and is obliged to personally visit to confirm the subject's welfare whenever the telephone goes unanswered.
Several practitioners have implemented systems whereby the disabled or aged person can initiate a call for assistance to an outside service. These systems require the disabled or aged person to carry a medallion-type signalling device that must be activated to initiate the call. Moreover, these systems require an injured patient to be in a clear state of mind so that he or she does, in fact, activate the medallion's button. Experience with these types of systems has clearly demonstrated that the aged person frequently neglects to wear the device and, even when wearing it, is too confused or disabled at the time of need to properly activate it.
The lack of means for telephonic confirmation of the welfare of temporarily or permanently disabled individuals seriously limits the independence and self-care options for such disabled people, and increases the anxiety and burdens of the care-giving friends and relatives. These unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.